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Washington/Wells (Brown)

A gateway to work and play in the Loop.

Monday Dec 26, 2005.     By Janis Mabalay

Lifestyle Feed

Just steps away from the Daley Center, minutes from Marshall Field's on State Street and a hop, skip and a jump from the Lyric Opera House, the Washington/Wells Brown Line stop is a gateway to work and play. And on those unending days at work, the ones filled with long meetings and headache-inducing phone calls, the one thing you look forward to is lunch. Whether it's a quick bite or a full one-hour meal, it's an escape. But it's not quite as exhilarating when it's that same place that you've been eating at day after day. Want to try something new? Relax. We're taking you out for lunch.

Safety rating: Pretty safe here. Lots of business types by day and not much of anything at night.

Panhandler rating: I didn't find any here, but you never know.

In-the-know-spot
Sixty-Five Restaurant
If you don't have time for a sit-down lunch but do have the patience to work your way through this madhouse (the midday busyness a result of too-good fast food Chinese), you're in luck. Sixty-Five serves the large combo meals you crave; beef with broccoli and sweet and sour chicken come with fried rice and an eggroll.

Memories of your high school cafeteria will come flooding back as you stand in line. Served from behind a long counter, big spoons dish rice onto your plate or into your to-go container. Though the line moves pretty quickly, it's probably a good idea to know what you want before it's your turn to point and choose. Time-crunched bellies scooting their empty trays along can get a little pushy. But for less $7 a combo, it's easy to take the, umm, eagerness, with a grain of salt.

Where to chill
Salad Spinners
If you're looking for an alternative to burgers and fries, Salad Spinners is your new noontime hot spot. Make your own salad from any number of ingredients to choose from (anything from hardboiled egg to Granny Smith apple to buffalo calamari), or try one of the many $5 and up signature salads; the Mexicali is served with corn, black beans, white Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, tortilla strips, honey-lime vinaigrette and peanut sauce. But don't get a hankering for greens for dinner, as Salad Spinners only serves breakfast and lunch. The morning menu includes indulgent fare like artichoke eggs Florentine, banana chocolate chip flapjacks and Mango Mama waffles.

And there's no need to strike Salad Spinners from the list on days when you're craving a meatier meal, as the menu also includes Boar's Head sandwiches (like roast beef served with crushed black peppercorns and blue cheese) in quarter, half and full pound sizes, which could run you upwards of $15.

Good for groups
Billy Goat II
The Billy Goat Tavern Original near the Tribune Towers and Wrigley Building is the place to hear the latest gossip among the savviest writers in Chicago. Its brother location harbors just as much of an after-work scene, in this case trading journalists for public workers and traders.

Lunchtime gets busy thanks, in no small part, to the renowned "cheezborgers" made famous after a 1978 "SNL" sketch featuring no less than Bill Murray, John Belushi, John Aykroyd and Lorraine Newman. But beyond the beef patty on a bun, you'll also find salami and cheese, Italian beef and triple cheeseburgers on the simple menu. To facilitate its status as an after-work hangout, you'll find plenty of cocktails and beer on tap. If you're up for trying, take a shot at pronouncing the super-duper-long Greek name written on the wall to get a free drink.